Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious char...
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reviews
Jul 23, 2011
Kwesi 章英狮
rated it: 
This book did not work well to me, Cornelia Funke gave me another headache after reading her Inkheart series which I thought will be one of my favorites since the movie was great. I did like the movie very much and I dug a hole 6 feet under for the whole series not be seen by my eyes again. Well, I think I broke one of the important rules of reading and watching book-tie-in stuff. I did watch the movie before the book so that made things worst but I was hoping not.
The last time I rem More...
The last time I rem More...
19 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2010
e.c.h.a
rated it: 
Orang dewasa tidak ingat lagi, bagaimana rasanya,
menjadi anak-anak.
Walaupun mereka mengaku begitu.
Mereka tidak tahu lagi. Percayalah padaku.
Mereka sudah lupa semuanya.
Betapa dunia dahulu berkesan lebih besar bagi mereka.
Betapa repotnya memanjat ke atas kursi.
Bagaimana rasanya kalau harus selalu menengadah?
Lupa.
Mereka tidak tahu lagi.
Kau pun akan melupakannya.
Kadang-kadang orang dewasa bercerita, betapa indahnya
ketika mereka More...
menjadi anak-anak.
Walaupun mereka mengaku begitu.
Mereka tidak tahu lagi. Percayalah padaku.
Mereka sudah lupa semuanya.
Betapa dunia dahulu berkesan lebih besar bagi mereka.
Betapa repotnya memanjat ke atas kursi.
Bagaimana rasanya kalau harus selalu menengadah?
Lupa.
Mereka tidak tahu lagi.
Kau pun akan melupakannya.
Kadang-kadang orang dewasa bercerita, betapa indahnya
ketika mereka More...
0 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Book of the Year Awards... Really? Is it unsympathetic of me to think that this book is... childish? How reductive should authors of children's lit be?
I've been working with a young student this summer, and The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, is a big favorite on the sixth grade circuit. This particular boy had chosen it for summer reading, and so I picked up a copy for myself.
Enh.
Billed as a "fantastical journey" through "the magical underwor More...
I've been working with a young student this summer, and The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, is a big favorite on the sixth grade circuit. This particular boy had chosen it for summer reading, and so I picked up a copy for myself.
Enh.
Billed as a "fantastical journey" through "the magical underwor More...
8 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Sep 25, 2007
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it:
It's a great fantasy: Let's run away to Venice, and hide out in an old movie theater. We can dye our hair blonde, so no one will ever find us!
In a way, this is a European version of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with siblings running away to a place stuffed with antiquities, and getting mixed up in an art mystery. I guess Victor the detective must have the Mrs. Frankweiler role.
I didn't expect the touch of fantasy at the end. I'd love to read a sequel to f More...
In a way, this is a European version of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with siblings running away to a place stuffed with antiquities, and getting mixed up in an art mystery. I guess Victor the detective must have the Mrs. Frankweiler role.
I didn't expect the touch of fantasy at the end. I'd love to read a sequel to f More...
0 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Dec 28, 2011
Sandeelovesbooks
rated it: 
Venice would be one of the places I'd visit before I die.
The story of The Thief Lord weaved wonderfully with the gorgeous city of Venice.
If this story had been in a different location it might not have been as appealing.
I love it when a book takes me to places I have never been before.
I rarely travel so that factor is very important to me.
This book did just that.
It took me straight to Venice.
Not only did it take me to Venice, I felt like I was right in t More...
The story of The Thief Lord weaved wonderfully with the gorgeous city of Venice.
If this story had been in a different location it might not have been as appealing.
I love it when a book takes me to places I have never been before.
I rarely travel so that factor is very important to me.
This book did just that.
It took me straight to Venice.
Not only did it take me to Venice, I felt like I was right in t More...
6 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 13, 2011
Melisa
rated it:
Selamat datang di Venezia, Kota Rembulan! Di sini anda akan dibuai dengan semilir angin Venezia saat anda menyusuri kanal-kanal dengan gondola, sambil menikmati keindahan bangunan-bangunan eksotik! Namun awasi selalu dompet, kamera, dan perhiasan anda terutama bila anda berjalan melewati Lapangan Markus, jika anda tidak ingin barang-barang berharga anda berpindah tangan ke Pangeran Pencuri dan komplotannya!
Apa? Anda belum mendengar tentang Pangeran Pencuri? Dia bukan Robin Hood, tent More...
Apa? Anda belum mendengar tentang Pangeran Pencuri? Dia bukan Robin Hood, tent More...
6 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 16, 2008
T
rated it: 
The Thief lord by Cornelia Funke was a pretty good book. This book tells a story of two young boys(Bo and Prosper) who run away and decide to hide from there care givers with a group of misfit runaways in an abandon theatre. In the under belly of Venice, Italy. They get into some sticky situations and have to steal to get money and survive. Including having a wealthy client send the gang on a very special mission. There are many characters include Prosper, Bo, Hornet and the Thief Lord himsel
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2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 09, 2008
Tamlynn
rated it:
SPOILER ALERT
I hate hate hate it when a book introduces magic 3/4ths of the way through! I like fantasy, thats not the problem. But the ordinary people are supposed to discover the magic at the beginning of the book. You know, the children run through a mysterious old house in the country, hide in a wardrobe, and bam! they're in Narnia. Perfect. Don't try and tell me a realistic story and then suddenly change/solve everything with magic that the characters just accept and move on. I More...
I hate hate hate it when a book introduces magic 3/4ths of the way through! I like fantasy, thats not the problem. But the ordinary people are supposed to discover the magic at the beginning of the book. You know, the children run through a mysterious old house in the country, hide in a wardrobe, and bam! they're in Narnia. Perfect. Don't try and tell me a realistic story and then suddenly change/solve everything with magic that the characters just accept and move on. I More...
2 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Jana
rated it:
This book is an amazing story by Cornelia Funke. The book consist of three stories that wind together. Prosper and Bo have run away from their homes in Germany to Venice. In order to see what their diseased mom had told them about the city and to escape from their aunt Esther, who is interested in adopting Bo.
In Venice they meet a group of children that live in an empty cinema. And that are cared for by the lord of the thieves. But who is he?? Meanwhile, Aunt Esther and her horrible husban More...
In Venice they meet a group of children that live in an empty cinema. And that are cared for by the lord of the thieves. But who is he?? Meanwhile, Aunt Esther and her horrible husban More...
Sep 04, 2008
Helena
rated it:
This is an extremely good book. I recommend any one who likes Action or Suspense books to read this book. Here is a summary: Prosper and Bo escape from there aunt and uncle Esther's house, and go to Venice. There mother and father died, and when they did, the only relatives available for a child were their aunt and uncle. But they only want the younger brother, Bo, age 6. Prosper has acted like a father to Bo ever since their parents died. Venice is a big place with a bunch of abandoned houses.
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4 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 14, 2008
Alicia
rated it:
I loved this book a lot. I was disapointed when I finished the book. I wanted to know what happened to "The Thief Lord".
After he went on the mmarry-go-round, I alwways wonder what could have happened to him. I love Bo and Prop. They are intresting characters. The love between them is very strong. Barbarossa is one of my least favorite character, besides Esther. He didn't learn anything when he turned into a shrink. This was my first book from this auther. I think I'll read more More...
After he went on the mmarry-go-round, I alwways wonder what could have happened to him. I love Bo and Prop. They are intresting characters. The love between them is very strong. Barbarossa is one of my least favorite character, besides Esther. He didn't learn anything when he turned into a shrink. This was my first book from this auther. I think I'll read more More...
Feb 24, 2008
Heather
rated it:
Terrific story about a couple of orphan boys (how come all the good kids' books have orphans in them?) who run away from their aunt and end up in Venice on the streets. They end up living in an old dilapidated theater with other orphans, the leader of whom is known as The Thief Lord. While the two boys try to evade a pesky detective, the Thief Lord tries to make a name for himself. The boys run through the streets of Venice and find mysteries along the way. This is a good book for boys who like
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Mar 25, 2008
Iida
rated it:
I read The Thief Lord two years back when I was in Venice for skiing holiday. The book is excellent, and combined with the right surroundings I was smitten.
Venice in the winter is misty and dreamy, and when we walked around the city, I could almost see the Thief Lord running around with his friends, cunningly planning their theft, getting more and more mixed up in the plots of grown-ups around them. Funke's storytelling is wonderful, her characters believable, and, for a children's More...
Venice in the winter is misty and dreamy, and when we walked around the city, I could almost see the Thief Lord running around with his friends, cunningly planning their theft, getting more and more mixed up in the plots of grown-ups around them. Funke's storytelling is wonderful, her characters believable, and, for a children's More...
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(5 people liked it)
Jan 03, 2012
Busy
rated it:
Cornelia Funke does a wonderful job of telling the amazing story of Proper and Bo, orphans who have escaped to Venice, Italy based on their late mother's fantastical descriptions of the city. Luckily, before Bo and Prosper freeze or starve to death, an already formed band of street children take them in and allow them to live with them in an abandoned movie theatre. Prosper and Bo soon learn that these children are cared for by a child close to their own age who calls himself "The Thief Lor
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Dec 21, 2011
Emily
rated it:
German author Cornelia Funke makes a name for herself in the ranks of children’s fantasy authors with The Thief Lord. Although Funke’s novel has elements of fantasy, it is set in the very real world of Vienna and centers around a group of children who have no magical powers or special abilities – in fact, the children are simply a group of orphans and runaways headed by the Thief Lord, as thirteen year old Scipio prefers to call himself. The children get tangled up in a plot to steal, of all t
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Mar 05, 2009
Jamie
rated it:
I was told to start with this book, but began with Inkheart instead. Inkheart is entirely of a different variety, totally magical, but this one is destined to be the classic. Set in the streets of Venice, this book has it all: Italian culture, street savvy kids, the Robin Hood-like notion of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, all the while echoing a sort of Les Miserables-like Griviche type thing.
Everybody loves a gang of orphans! These orphans live in a run down movie theater More...
Everybody loves a gang of orphans! These orphans live in a run down movie theater More...
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 15, 2009
**Gracie**
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 10, 2009
Nikki
rated it:
When I read the translations of Cornelia Funke's books (so the Inkworld books and this...) I feel like there's something missing. It might have got lost in translation or it might not have been there in the first place, but whichever it is, something doesn't feel quite right about this. There are some lovely descriptions and ideas in Cornelia Funke's work, it just somehow doesn't appeal to me. And I know her work is targeted at younger people, but I read plenty of YA lit and it doesn't have this
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Feb 08, 2009
James
rated it:
The Thief Lord has many dark elements: the plight of street children, the tragedy of having loveless parents, the tragedy of having no parents at all, and the dangers of living in a criminal underworld. Funke touches upon the dark histories of Scipio and Hornet, but never does more than imply. In many cases this works very well. The way that Funke hints at Hornet’s backstory through quick references, and subtle nuances in the girl’s character develops a story in the reader’s mind that is harsher
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 18, 2009
Suhail
rated it:
“The Thief Lord” is an interesting book because of the two main characters, Prosper and Bo who are brothers. Prosper is the older one and Bo is the younger brother. The brother’s parents have died and now they are currently living with their Aunt Esther who is going to send them to a boarding school. Prosper and Bo decided to leave for Venice and they meet a mysterious character that names himself “The Thief Lord”. The two brothers engage in crime to feed themselves with “The Thief Lord”. They
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Jan 17, 2012
Corinne
rated it:
This book started out really well but didn't quite deliver. It is about two orphaned boys who run away from their harsh aunt and uncle and take up with a group of other homeless kids in Venice, Italy. Funke excels at her characterizations and does a good job at creating suspense. The book fell short for me because it was too long, veered into a fantastical element toward the end (and there were no fantasy elements in the rest of the novel), and didn't quite satisfy me in the end.
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Jan 16, 2012
Πέτρος
rated it:
The best way to describe this book is cute but messy. It is a fine children’s adventure that will interest most of the target audience which won’t seek anything other than the thrill of adventure and a twist of supernatural mystery. It plays its cards well to the most part but at some points it may feel to silly and hard to suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy it.
So the main story is about a gang of run-away children in Venice, who have formed a gang of thieves, under the leadersh More...
So the main story is about a gang of run-away children in Venice, who have formed a gang of thieves, under the leadersh More...
Dec 13, 2011
Glendamyers
rated it:
About: Prosper and Bo--runaway children--and their encounters with Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, and the Thief Lord himself. Set in Venice, Italy.
Pros: The storyline is fantastic! I love the setting, the plot, and the way the characters fit together into the whole story. The writing style is also very good, but I don't know if that should be considered a pro exactly because Funke had written the story in Italian or German (not sure) and the English version wasn't written by her. Nevertheless, th More...
Pros: The storyline is fantastic! I love the setting, the plot, and the way the characters fit together into the whole story. The writing style is also very good, but I don't know if that should be considered a pro exactly because Funke had written the story in Italian or German (not sure) and the English version wasn't written by her. Nevertheless, th More...
Dec 01, 2011
Austin
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jun 09, 2011
The Thief lord by Cornelia Funke was a pretty good book. This book tells a story of two young boys(Bo and Prosper) who run away and decide to hide from there care givers with a group of misfit runaways in an abandon theatre. In the under belly of Venice, Italy. They get into some sticky situations and have to steal to get money and survive. Including having a wealthy client send the gang on a very special mission. There are many characters include Prosper, Bo, Hornet and the Thief Lord himself
More...
May 30, 2011
Stefanie
rated it:
Have you always thought someone was following you? Do you want to protect the people you love most? How would you react if you found out there are pictures of you everywhere in town? The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, where anything unexpected may occur any moment. You may think that you are safe and hidden from people right where you are, but think again. You always have to be aware of your surroundings, even if you think it’s completely safe.
Prosper and Bo escape from their cruel aunt an More...
Prosper and Bo escape from their cruel aunt an More...
May 29, 2011
Eden
rated it:
The cover:
The shimmering blue sets the right mood for a Venice story, though it may be a bit too stereotypical. I adore that little figure sneaking across the bridge, highlighted against the moon, but it brings to mind: why aren't there more people? Without the tourist population shown, the cover doesn't speak enough of the stealthy action in this book.
The book:
Originally written by Cornelia Funke in German, this English translation has the expected stilted pr More...
The shimmering blue sets the right mood for a Venice story, though it may be a bit too stereotypical. I adore that little figure sneaking across the bridge, highlighted against the moon, but it brings to mind: why aren't there more people? Without the tourist population shown, the cover doesn't speak enough of the stealthy action in this book.
The book:
Originally written by Cornelia Funke in German, this English translation has the expected stilted pr More...
Apr 11, 2011
This book was surprising to me. Two brothers, Prosper and Bo, were sent away to live with their Aunt and Uncle. They only wanted Bo, not Proseper, because he was older. Prosper was not about to be sent off to boarding school and leave the only brother he had behind him, so they ran away to Venice, Italy. They had heard great things about the city from their mother before she passed away. But upon their arrival of the city, they realized it wasn't as they expected it to be. It was almost winter a
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Feb 04, 2011
Yearning To Read
rated it:
After their mother and father die, Prosper and Bo find themselves in the not-so-nice care of their Aunt. Prosper plans an escape and he and Bo set off to Venice, their mother’s favorite place in the whole world. Once there they find a home among a gang of thieves – or really, orphans who have a clever young master who steals fancy and expensive objects under the cover of a bird’s mask. Then these items are sold, and the children use the money to provide food and clothes for themselves. Prosper a
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Jan 16, 2011
Misha
rated it:
*Reviewed by Maxine*
When Prosper and Bo’s mother dies, their aunt and uncle decide to adopt Bo and send Prosper to a boarding school. Unhappy with the prospect of separating from his brother, Prosper along with Bo runs away to Venice. In Venice, they meet a group of runaways who live in an abandoned theatre and are welcomed warmly into their group. The leader of the group is the mysterious, Thief Lord who steals from rich houses to provide them with basic comforts and necessities. As P More...
When Prosper and Bo’s mother dies, their aunt and uncle decide to adopt Bo and send Prosper to a boarding school. Unhappy with the prospect of separating from his brother, Prosper along with Bo runs away to Venice. In Venice, they meet a group of runaways who live in an abandoned theatre and are welcomed warmly into their group. The leader of the group is the mysterious, Thief Lord who steals from rich houses to provide them with basic comforts and necessities. As P More...
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